[nirvAnA]

PAX Australia will take place at the Melbourne Showgrounds from 19-21 July 2013. The sale of tickets has started today! Thanks CSerps for the tip - he also said "get in quick because 3-day passes will sell out fast at only $115". Pricing has been set at a reasonable AU$45 per day, or $115 for a three day pass. You can register while tickets are still available at PaxAustralia.com.au

What is PAX?

In 2004, the folks at Penny Arcade decided they wanted a show exclusively for gaming. Sure, comics, anime, and other nerd hobbies were cool, and those activities all had their own shows... so what about games? From that idea spawned a small 4,500 person event in Bellevue, Washington, focused on the culture and community that is gaming. Since then, the show hasn't looked back. Doubling in size each year until venue capacities were reached, in 2010 the show expanded into Boston for PAX East, drawing tens of thousands of attendees in the inaugural year. The shows in Seattle and Boston represent the two largest gaming events in North America, and for the first time PAX is expanding internationally for its inaugural Australian show!

Press Release

Victorian Minister for Innovation, Services and Small Business Louise Asher today joined Penny Arcade President Robert Khoo to announce that Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Australia will be held in Melbourne in 2013 and 2014.

Ms Asher said PAX is the world’s premier games festival and the decision to choose Melbourne will be a fantastic opportunity to highlight Victoria’s creative capabilities on a global scale.

“This is the first time the event has been held outside the United States and attracting PAX Australia to Melbourne was a major coup for Victoria,” Ms Asher said. “It is a great opportunity to showcase games culture in Australia to the rest of the world, and the exposure around the region and the world that Melbourne’s games industry will gain from the event, and the number of international and domestic visitors that will be drawn to Melbourne, cannot be underestimated.”